Roberts v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court
Roberts v. State, 55 Miss. 421 (Miss. 1877)
Chalmers

Roberts v. State

Opinion of the Court

Chalmers, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The objections to the indictment, based on the failure to follow literally the language of the statute (Code 1871, sec. 2527), are not well taken. The words of the indictment are synonymous with those of the statute, which is sufficient.

Motion in arrest was made after verdict, upon the ground that the offenses o'f burglary and of larceny were both embraced in a single count in the indictment. The general rule is that two crimes cannot be charged in the same count, but to thifi rule there are some exceptions, prominent among which are assault and battery, and burglary and larceny. An assault and battery, it is held, may be joined in a single count, because the lesser offense necessarily merges in the greater, Various reasons have been given for allowing the joinder of burglary and larceny, the most satisfactory of which seems to be that whether the breaking into the house be burglary or not, depends upon the intent; and the act of larceny, after the breaking, is conclusive proof of the intent with which the breaking *424was done. ' The larceny, therefore, is charged, not as a substantive offense, but as demonstrating the burglarious intent. The jury may, indeed, acquit of the burglary and convict of the larceny, but a general verdict of guilty will be regarded, not as a conviction of two offenses, but of the burglary alone; and the larceny charged will be deemed indicative of, and intended to demonstrate, the animo furandi which goes to make up the higher crime. The Commonwealth v. Hope, 22 Pick. 1; The Commonwealth v. Tuck, 20 Pick. 356; Josslyn v. The Commonwealth, 6 Metc. 236.

Whether, if the indictment was bad for duplicity, objection could be made after verdict, is left by the books in much doubt. The authorities, pro and con, are grouped in Bishop’s Criminal Procedure, volume 1, section 197, and note, and the view is expressed by the author that, upon principle, the duplicity ought to be considered as cured by verdict.

Judgment affirmed.

Reference

Full Case Name
Thomas Roberts v. State
Cited By
25 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
1. Criminal Law. Indictment not pursuing language of statute. An indictment is not bad because it does not pursue literally the language of the statute defining the offense charged, if the words of the indictment be synonymous with those of the statute. * 2. 'Same. Practice. Joinder of two offenses in same count. It is a general rule that two crimes cannot be charged in the same count of an indictment, but, as an exception thereto, larceny and burglary may be joined in a single count, and in such a case the jury may acquit of burglary and convict of larceny; but, if they return a general verdict of guilty, it will be regarded as a conviction of burglary alone. Qucere: Whether, if an indictment is bad for duplicity, the objection can be made after verdict.